Microsoft Exchange: Exclusions

Exchange 5.5

Exclude the Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Service directory and its subdirectories (contains for example, temporary storage directories for incoming and outgoing mail, and queues).

LiveVault Online Backup and Recovery Service Agent version 3.6 and later automatically exclude this directory and its subdirectories. If you are running an earlier Agent version, you must manually create the exclusion on your Files and Directories backup configuration.

Note: If you have a custom Exchange backup configuration and it is backing up this directory, then you must also create the exclusion on the Exchange backup configuration.

In the tree view on the Files to Backup tab, you will see the icon for the automatically excluded directory and subdirectories. Parent directories of the automatically excluded directory are marked in MyLiveVault with one of the "partially excluded" icons, either (if a parent directory is selected), or (if a parent directory is not selected).

The directory is specified in the registry key:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIMC\Parameters value RootDir.

This is commonly:

\Exchsrvr\imcdata\

For example, if the RootDir value is D:\Exchsrvr\imcdata\, create the exclusion:

Exclude D:\Exchsrvr\imcdata\* (plus subdirectories)

Exchange 2000/2003

Exclude the following directories from LiveVault Online Backup and Recovery Service backup:

Exchange 2000/2003 SMTP virtual server instance directory and its subdirectories.
Exchange full-text indexes.

SMTP virtual server instance

Exclude the Exchange 2000/2003 SMTP virtual server instance directory and its subdirectories. This directory and its subdirectories (BadMail, Pickup and Queue) are not required in order to restore Exchange 2000/2003 and can cause problems backing up Exchange.

LiveVault Online Backup and Recovery Service Agent version 4.0 and later automatically exclude the first SMTP virtual server instance directory and its subdirectories. If you are running an earlier Agent version, you must manually create the exclusions on your Files and Directories backup configuration.

Also, if your computer has several SMTP virtual server instance directories (where vsi number is vsi 2, vsi 3, etc.), then you must configure the exclusion for each of those directories.

Note: If you have a custom Exchange backup configuration and it is backing up these virtual server instance directories, then you must also create these exclusions on the Exchange backup configuration.

The Exchange installation directory is specified in the registry entry:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Setup value Services.

This is commonly:

\Program Files\Exchsrvr\

Append the subdirectory \Mailroot\vsi 1 to the Exchange installation path to form the SMTP virtual server instance directory. For example, if the Services value is C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr, append \Mailroot\vsi 1 to create the exclusion:

Exclude C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\Mailroot\vsi 1\* (plus subdirectories)

Exchange full-text indexes

If you are using Exchange full-text indexing, you must exclude the Exchange directories containing the full-text indexes for each Exchange store from LiveVault Online Backup and Recovery Service backup. Backing up the indexes causes unnecessarily high data change rates and excessive use of network bandwidth.

You must manually create exclusions for all stores on your Files and Directories backup configuration.

If Exchange full-text indexing is being used, the following registry key exists:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Search\1.0

If Exchange full-text indexing is being used, check for the following registry subkey for each Exchange Server instance (where instance is your Exchange server name):

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Search\1.0\Gathering Manager\Applications\ExchangeServer_instance

For each Exchange Server instance listed, check the following registry subkeys and values:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Search\1.0\Gathering Manager\Applications\ExchangeServer_instance value DefaultProjectPath (for the project directory)
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Search\1.0\Databases\ExchangeServer_instance value FileName (for the full-text indexing property store)
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Search\1.0\Databases\ExchangeServer_instance value LogPath (for the folder that contains the log files and checkpoint files for the property store)

For example, these are commonly:

Project directory: \Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_instance\Projects
Folder containing the property store and log files: \Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_instance

Substituting the appropriate drive where Microsoft Exchange 2000 is installed for C:\ and substituting your Exchange server name for instance, create exclusions for the projects directory and its subdirectories), the full-text indexing property store, and for MSS.* in the folder containing the log files/checkpoint files. For example, for the following values:

Exchange installation drive: C:
ExchangeServer_instance: ExchangeServer_SRV4
Project directory: C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_SRV4\Projects
FileName value: C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_SRV4\ExchangeServer_SRV4.edb
LogPath value: C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_SRV4\

Create the following set of exclusions:

Exclude C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_SRV4\Projects\* (plus subdirectories)
Exclude C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_SRV4\ExchangeServer_SRV4.edb
Exclude C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_SRV4\MSS.*

Note: You will recreate the full-text indexes after restoring Exchange. Refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 295921 XADM: Disaster Recovery Does Not Correctly Setup Full-Text Indexing. You cannot rebuild the indexes without following this article.

Related Information

Excluding Files from Backup
Automatic and Recommended Backup Exclusions
Creating a Microsoft Exchange Backup Configuration
Modifying a Microsoft Exchange Backup Configuration